Silvio Samuel. Toney Freeman.
Bright Future
Johnnie Jackson. Phil Heath.www.ironmanmagazine.com \ MARCH 2008 253 his seat. And another Freeman-Heath battle would certainly be a treat.
Of course, a Freeman-Health-Samuel battle would be even better. The winner of my Pro Bodybuilder of the Year award in 2007, Silvio
Samuel was a highly disputed fourth at the IRON MAN Pro last year,
and after winning the 210-and-under division as well as the main event at the Europa—and finishing a strong seventh at the Olympia—Silvio has earned the right to be considered a precontest favorite with Toney and Phil. Samuel competed an amazing eight times last year and looked terrific in every single contest, proving that it’s certainly pos- sible to peak more than once—or twice, or three times—in one season.
And let’s not leave out Johnnie
Jackson, who had one terrific 2007,
winning the Atlantic City Pro and then earning an impressive ninth-place finish at the O. Jackson is one of several top- flight stars being trained by Milos “the Mind” Sarcev.
Now, if Gustavo Badell jumps into the fray, as rumored, things will definitely get, as Ron Avidan is famous for saying, “quite interesting.” The Fri- can’ Rican, a former IM Pro winner, was fourth at the ’07 Arnold and finished a very disappointed eighth, one slot be- hind Silvio, at the O.
ALSO LIKELY TO BE BACK ON THE IM STAGE—Eddie Abbew, Marcus Haley, David Henry and Hidetada Yamagishi, who finished
third, fifth, sixth and seventh, respective- ly, last year, top the list here. Abbew, the best-built nurse in the world, has said he’ll be coming in from England again to compete. Haley’s Comet finished fifth in his first crack at the event, getting the benefit of the show’s new status in 2007 as a top-five Olympia qualifier.
Henry, second to Lee Priest in 2006, fell a few slots last year, but don’t let that fool ya. The guy might have been the most conditioned athlete onstage at the O, where he took 10th. Yamagishi ranked among the most improved pros on the circuit last year and became the first Japanese bodybuilder to grace the Olympia stage. Plus, he always has a huge entourage of fans in the audience, which adds to the excitement of any show he flexes in.
Ditto for Troy Alves, who’ll be returning
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Can you name that contest in one guess? Page 256 COLUMBUS SIX-PACK? Who’s getting back onstage at the Arnold? Pages 254- 255 Dawn Kirkham, Monica Mark and Danielle Edmonds.
GRAPPLING AT THE ASF
But is this the ultimate fighting championship? Pages 254-255 DeShaun Grimez. Ray Arde. Marcus Haley. David Henry. Eddie Abbew. ’07 NPC IRON MAN Figure winners. Gary Strydom, 2006. Isaac Hinds \ www .LiftStudios.com Comstock N&V_MAR08_F.indd 253 N&V_MAR08_F.indd 253 1/4/08 1:42:48 PM1/4/08 1:42:48 PM
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254 MARCH 2008 \ www.ironmanmagazine.com
to the show after sitting out the 2007 edition. The 5’8”, 220-pounder from Phoenix placed third in ’05 and ’06 and at 41, despite not qualifying for the Olympia last year, still possesses one of the sport’s classiest phy- siques. Always include Troy’s name in the battle for a top-five finish.
Two rookies—DeShaun Grimez and “Sting” Ray Arde—have told me they’ll make their pro debuts in Los Angeles. Grimez won his pro card by taking the heavyweights and finishing second to Ben White in the overall balloting at the ’07 USA; Arde won the light-heavyweight crown at the ’05 Nationals. I think both guys can hold their own on a pro stage.
Gary Strydom said at the Nationals that he’ll be competing in the
show this year. At 48, the 6’1”, 275-pound Strydom has defied the aging process, and if he does follow through on his promise, he would be mak- ing his first appearance at the IM since the initial event back in 1990.
I’m sure I’m missing some others who’ll be there come showtime—lo- cals Will Harris and Omar Deckard and Arizona’s Rusty Jeffers could be on that list. Harris has a tremendous physique and finished behind only Silvio Samuel at the Europa. He looked great at the O, de- spite his out-of-the-top-15 finish. Will can definitely be a thrill in February.
Oh, and the buzz out of New York is that King Kamali could be jumping in the fray as well. As you know, Kamali adds excitement, on and off the stage, to any show he competes in.
The IRON MAN NPC Figure competition returns to the festivi- ties, with the overall winner receiving a photo shoot with Mi-
chael Neveux, as usual. A new, positive twist to the ladies’
show—no limit on the number of contestants, so the lineup could be the largest in its eight-year history.
The bodybuilding community suffered a great loss in Novem- ber when Reg Park succumbed to melanoma at 79. Park will be honored posthumously with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. See Gene Mozée’s tribute to him on page 168.
For updates on the IRON MAN field (and the entire event), not to mention the latest “The Experts” video, wherein Isaac Hinds,
Ron Avidan and I once more display our uncanny prognostica-
tion talents, log on to www.IronManMagazine.com.